Home | Personal Development
Ghosts are usaully thought of as something that exists after we die. We imagine a piece of us that haunts all of the places we lived when we were alive. But what if there is another kind of ghosts that is around even while you are alive? What if your self-image is actually a kind of ghost or lie? Most people think ghosts are insubstantial shapes or visions that come and go. They aren't very solid or real, and a lot of people can't even see them. And yet how real or solid are your images of yourself-your ideas about who you are? If one day you have an image of yourself as an very attractive person and the next day you see yourself as unattractive, how substantial was either image? And who else can see your self image? What could it mean if you see yourself as unattractive and someone becomes attracted to you anyway? It could mean that they can't actually see your self image. Maybe the way you see yourself is a kind of ghost. We don't usually see that our image of ourselves is a kind of ghost because we really believe that it is a true representation of what we are. We may be left wondering, Who am I if what I believe I am is unreal and does not exist? What else am I besides the ghost like images of myself? There is a strong sense that we do exist, that we are real. But does this sense of existence and reality come from our image of ourselves? Or does the sense of being real and of existing come from somewhere deeper within our being? It's difficult to know for sure since the image and the sense of realness can both be present at the same time, and our egoic idea of ourselves can co-opt that deeper sense of realness we naturally have. One way to know what is real and what is not is to ask how substantial are your ideas of yourself. A true measure of how real something is, is how long it lasts. If something last longer, it is more real. And how long do your ideas about yourself last? They faed in and out (like a ghost in a ghost story) and usually don't last long at all. A thought can be over so quickly that a moment later we can't remember what we were just thinking. Our images we have of ourselves are always changing and passing away to be replaced by another idea or picture of ourselves or even a thought about something else. So those ideas or identities we have must not be very solid and real. They are just ghosts in our minds. What about the simple sense of your existence? How often does that come and go, or in other words, how often do you have an opposite sense-that you don't exist? The inner sense that you exist doesn't come and go and is more real than your ideas about yourself. You do exist, but your self-images are just ghosts. You are not contained in your identifications or ideas about yourself. You are still here even when your images of yourself fade away, like the ghostlike images in a movie. It is the real you that matters. You can become more curious about this real you than you are about the false ghosts of identity. What is the real you made of? What is it like? What does it want? What can it do? These are rich and meaningful questions to explore, but remember that the real answers are not to be found in your ideas about yourself. The truest answers can be found in the simple sense that you exist.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
Well recognised spiritual teacher, Nirmala has been offering satsang and individual spiritual mentoring since 1998. He provides free spiritual books and many more ways to experience his teachings on endless-satsang.com. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
